Chapter 8: The Perils of a Dragon Knight’s First Flight

After a moment of exhilaration, Theodore quickly realized that while Dragon Knights were revered and celebrated across the continent, inspiring innumerable tales of valor…

…the allure of these stories rested upon a foundation that conveniently overlooked most practical realities.

As Theresia accelerated, an immense wind pressure violently distorted Theodore’s features, pulling them wildly outwards.

Her scales, smooth and tightly interlocked, offered Theodore little purchase, making it nearly impossible to maintain a secure hold on her back.

Moreover, the high-altitude air was frigid, a stark contrast to the scorching tropical island he had just left, leaving Theodore profoundly uncomfortable.

He attempted to project his *Qi* outwards, forming a protective wind barrier around himself.

However, this continuously drained his *Qi*.

For a martial artist, the primary function of *Qi* was not to release it externally like magic, but to internally enhance one’s physical strength.

Under normal circumstances, an equal amount of *Qi* possessed greater destructive power than magic.

Yet, its storage capacity within the body and its recovery speed were significantly inferior to magic.

The key difference was that *Qi* released by a martial artist could be recycled back into the body for continuous use, unlike magic, which, once cast, would not return to the mage.

The proportion of *Qi* recovered depended on the distance and duration of its release, as well as the martial artist’s mastery over it.

The longer the distance and time of release, and the lower the control over one’s *Qi*, the smaller the recovery rate.

Therefore, most martial artists meticulously managed these factors, ensuring a high recovery rate of their *Qi* to sustain prolonged combat.

This was precisely why martial artists vehemently pursued close-quarters combat.

Currently, Theodore felt his internal *Qi* rapidly depleting.

Despite three years of training on Dragon Island, his strength had grown immensely, and the quality and quantity of his *Qi* had made significant leaps, but even that could not withstand such consumption.

“Theresia, I can’t hold on much longer!”

Theodore bellowed, straining his voice towards her.

But the moment the words left his mouth, his *Qi* shield was shredded by the immense wind pressure, dissolving into an unintelligible noise.

Theresia, however, was completely engrossed in the immense success of her belated return, replaying scenarios in her mind of what would have happened had she not made it back in time.

The more she dwelled on it, the greater the psychological satisfaction her current success brought her.

She remained utterly oblivious to the fact that the Dragon Knight on her back was moments away from embracing the sky.

In Theodore’s despairing gaze, he exhausted the last shred of *Qi* within him.

Just then, Theresia concluded her acceleration, reaching her maximum speed.

The colossal wind pressure slammed directly into Theodore, sending him flying outwards.

Fortunately, Theodore spotted the continuously swaying black dragon tail.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he swiftly grabbed onto the tip of the tail.

There were a few protruding scales there, just enough for him to grip.

Thus, the Dragon Knight transformed into a Dragon Tail Kite.

The problem was that Theresia’s tail was equally restless, constantly swaying up and down.

Theodore tried to scream, but the wind pressure swallowed his cries, leaving him to silently endure the pain of his first Dragon Knight experience.

Theresia remained completely unaware, as Theodore’s struggles on her back generated less disturbance than the wind buffeting her.

She was focused on putting as much distance as possible between herself and the Trial Dragon Island, to avoid the ancient dragon detecting the fluctuations of her teleportation magic.

After another ten minutes of full-speed flight, Theresia deemed the distance sufficient and prepared to land on the nearest small island.

With another diagonal dive, Theresia’s body glowed with an milky white radiance, rapidly shrinking and gradually transforming into her human form.

However, just as Theresia confidently prepared for a perfect landing, she suddenly found her feet seemingly bound.

She looked back, only to discover that Theodore wasn’t clinging to her back, but rather, with eyes tightly shut, was clutching her legs for dear life.

“Hey! You—”

Theresia wanted to shriek at Theodore to let go, but it was too late.

A tremendous crash echoed.

Theresia was forced to employ her ultimate technique: the head-first brake.

The effect was striking, and the destructive power astonishing. The small island suffered a penetrating wound, massive amounts of seawater poured in, and at least a tenth of its ‘health’ was depleted.

After swallowing a bellyful of seawater, Theodore and Theresia floated to the surface.

Theresia, feeling somewhat disillusioned, gazed at the azure sky.

As her floating body bumped into Theodore, she asked, “Weren’t you on my back? Why were you holding my legs when I turned human?”

After enduring the dragon tail rollercoaster and a belly full of seawater, Theodore too was in a state of existential doubt.

He replied weakly, “I was blown onto your dragon tail and hanging there more than ten minutes ago.”

“Oh, really? Why didn’t you call out to me?”

“I did, but the wind was too strong; you couldn’t hear me.”

“…You were on me; you could have just patted me.”

“I forgot.”

Theodore lied. He hadn’t forgotten, but he didn’t know how much force would be appropriate.

If he patted too lightly, she wouldn’t react; if he patted too hard, he’d feel bad. So, he just hung on.

After all, compared to three years of endurance training, hanging from a dragon’s tail in the wind at least allowed him to touch the dragon’s tail.

For a moment, the two ‘brothers in misfortune’ fell into a silent impasse.

Theodore was too lost in the romantic legends of Dragon Knights, completely forgetting that in reality, becoming a Dragon Knight required at least a specially designed dragon saddle.

This was Theresia’s first time carrying Theodore on her back; previously, she had always held him in her hands during flights, so she naturally hadn’t realized how difficult it was to sit on her back.

After reflecting for a moment, Theresia said, “Next time, I’ll just hold you in my hands again.”

“Um, actually, there are specialized dragon saddles…” Theodore tentatively suggested.

Theresia replied without a hint of hesitation or emotion, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Oh~”

Theodore sighed heavily in his heart. Being a Dragon Knight was indeed not as easy as it seemed.

****

“Let’s get out of here first.”

Constantly doubting life wasn’t getting them anywhere. Theresia believed in moving forward.

Thus, a pair of black, fleshy wings sprouted from her back, and she flew from the water into the air, extending a hand towards Theodore.

It was only then that she noticed Theodore’s clothes were utterly shredded from the impact, leaving only a few strips of fabric clinging to him.

Without the slightest hint of reserve, Theresia gazed at him from head to toe, savoring the sight.

His handsome face, tall and robust physique, perfectly sculpted eight-pack abs, and the impressive ‘capital’ below.

‘How… how enviable!’

This was the physique Theresia, as a shut-in in her previous life, had always dreamed of.

‘If only I were male!’

Meanwhile, Theodore also felt that overthinking things now was pointless. He believed that one day he would be able to put a dragon saddle on Theresia. He then looked up, ready to take Theresia’s hand.

However, the sight before him caused his nose to gush blood.

Theresia had only noticed Theodore’s clothes turning into rags, completely oblivious that her own were in a similar state.

Shimmering dew drops slowly fell from her cascading black hair, glinting in the sunlight before landing on her flawless and exquisitely beautiful face.

A pair of beautiful yet majestic brown dragon eyes stared intently at him, filled with envy, admiration, and a hint of extreme desire. These mixed emotions transformed into iridescent light that shimmered in her gaze.

Her fair and tender skin, the perfectly shaped snow-capped peaks, her graceful and lithe figure, her long, smooth thighs, and her flawless, delicate jade feet.

For a young virgin, this dream-like, nude form of the mother dragon-human was simply too much stimulation.

The gushing crimson liquid successfully roused Theresia, who had been lost in her dream of a masculine body. She stared, wide-eyed, as a large pool of red fluid spread from Theodore, gradually claiming its bloody territory on the clear lake surface.

Theodore himself fell backward, head submerged, clearly having lost consciousness.

‘So, a person’s nosebleed really can gush this much?!’

Theresia was utterly astonished.

……

Pulling Theodore from the center of the lake, Theresia shoved a noseplug made from hemostatic herbs into his nostrils.

She then pried open his mouth and dislocated his jaw, to prevent him from unconsciously closing it and suffocating.

Afterward, she assessed her own situation and roughly understood what had happened to Theodore.

Though sad, she had to admit it was her fault.

Such a high-level ‘benefit’ was simply too stimulating for a young man who hadn’t been tempered by various *doujinshi* and anime.

She reflected, ‘Actually, I have some colorful publications here, and each one is a masterpiece, crafted by succubus masters. The content satisfies all kinds of kinks, and they even have magical animations. I’d say, besides being a bit expensive, they have no flaws whatsoever.’

‘But I was selfish and enjoyed them all by myself, never sharing with my good brother.’

‘I should let Theodore look at them these next two days.’

‘In case I don’t make it through that day, with some educational experience, at least we could both be more comfortable, right?’